Torturous Asphodel
by KaioM
Summary: Her eyes slid shut. Knees buckled. Erratic heartbeat admitting defeat. Yamanaka Ino was dead./Eight year old Yamanaka Ino took a deep breath, teal eyes flashing with panic. "Calm down. Just a nightmare." But a scream was building inside her, as sick memories surfaced. Eight year old Ino was never going to be the same, and twenty seven year old Ino no longer existed. Time travel/AU.


**NARUTO**

**Torturous Asphodel  
**_By: KaioM_

_**'nameless grave'**_

_"As a shinobi, civilians look down upon you because you've lost your innocence, and therefore, are no longer an equal human being. As a civilian, shinobi look down upon you because you _are_ innocent, and therefore, naive, without even an inkling of the real world. You just can't win."_

_-Yamanaka Ino to Hyuuga Hinata, approximately one hour before full out warfare began._

Yamanaka Ino should be dead.

_I should be dead_.

Ino's eyes were wide and tears were starting to build in the twin teal pools. This couldn't be happening.

This could _not_ be happening.

Naruto's face was pressed against Ino's shoulder, tiny, pained gasps of air puffing onto the bare skin of Ino's neck. The tip of the kunai piercing through the boy's stomach was almost touching Ino, but not quite, and there were so many more, stabbed into his flesh.

_He'll heal from this. He's gonna be fine. Of course he is. This is Naruto._

In a breathy, dying whisper, Naruto murmured, "Run."

Naruto's blood was splattered across Ino's body, staining her clothing. Ino's fingers convulsed momentarily, fingernails stabbing little crescent moons into her palms.

With more force, the choked voice reapplied the order. "Run, Ino."

Ino wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. Ino wanted the entire world to stop and look at Naruto, because this was such a strong person, such a kind person, such a wonderful person, such a young, perfect person, who was gone _forever_, and he _deserved_ for the entire world to just _stop_.

But the world wasn't going to stop.

And if Ino didn't run, she was going to be killed, too. Whoever threw those knives was close; they were probably watching Naruto die right now.

_Sick_.

Naruto tensed, then slumped over, his entire body falling against Ino, and in that moment, the blonde knew her friend was gone. Dead.

_Oh, god._

Ino gagged against the thick smell of blood, stumbling back. Narut-_the_ _body_ fell to the floor with a dull thump, completely limp. Ino had never felt so _dirty_ before, and tears started to spill down her bloody cheeks as she tried not to cry in earnest.

_Oh, god, he's_-

A glint of something shiny just in the distance, growing nearer and nearer and nearer-

One quick, tiny burst of smoke, and three more kunai slammed themselves into the body's cold skin.

Ino lunged into the trees, a tiny jet of gray flashing through the forest with a speed she never knew she had.

_I left him there, his body, I have to go back_-

_But I'll die, too, and I can't risk going back now, not while someone is after me_-

_I'm sorry, Naruto._

She didn't stop, didn't give even one backwards glance behind her.

She just ran.

Whoever killed Naruto was catching up, though; Ino could tell, from the startlingly heavy footsteps that were quickly gaining, and adrenaline slowly started to fade into fear, pure, animalistic _fear_ that was taking more and more control of Ino's mind.

A flash of stark black, standing out against the green surrounding her, and Ino dove without a thought, flipping around midair and skidding to a stop on a thick branch.

Her sensory abilities told her there was only one.

But her mind was telling her it didn't matter.

_Uchiha Madara. I can't beat Uchiha Madara._

Ino stared at him, watching the cruel smirk tilt across his face, his sick, twisted, beautiful face.

"The last little rat... Right here, ripe for the slaughter." He laughed, looking so empty that for a moment, Ino almost felt pity for the disgusting _beast_ in front of her.

He opened his eyes, and they were the same shade of spotlight red Naruto's blood had been.

"Goodbye, Ino." He said.

Time slowed, pausing as though to draw out the pain to come.

Her hands automatically started to slide into a single familiar seal, her lips forming words.

The sword was nearing her, so slow Ino was nearly convinced it wouldn't come at all.

Then it was in her chest, stabbing straight through her body like she was made of butter, and it _hurt_ so badly, a slow burning sensation that got worse with each passing moment, and another newfound respect for Naruto blossomed in Ino's bloody, lacerated heart.

Ino stared into her enemy's stilled bloody eyes, silently mouthing flat words, her hands still in position facing outwards, pointing straight into his face.

"_Shintenshin no Jutsu_."

The Mangekyo Sharingan eyes whirled madly, and Ino almost thought she saw an amount of panic in them.

Then nothing.

Her eyes slid shut.

Knees buckled.

Erratic heartbeat admitting defeat.

_Run, Ino_.

Yamanaka Ino was dead.

* * *

_1. . . 2. . . 3. . . 4. . . 5. . . 6. . . 7. . . 8. . ._

She took a huge gasping breath, shooting into a sitting position as her hands pressed themselves against her heaving chest.

_. . . 9. . . 10. . . 11. . . 12. . . 13. . . 14. . . 15. . . 16. . ._

Panic flashed in wide teal eyes as they darted around the room. Where was she? What was happening?

Why the hell wasn't she dead?

_. . . 17. . . 18. . . 19. . . 20. . . 21. . . 22. . . 23. . . 24. . . 25. . ._

Wait, why did she think she was supposed to be dead?

Eight year old Yamanaka Ino took a deep, gasping breath. "It was just a nightmare." She whispered. "Calm down. You're going to join the Ninja Academy today." Her hands grappled for something to hold on to, eventually simply clutching at the fabric of her thin nightshirt.

_. . . 26. . . 27. . . 28. . . 29. . . 30. . . 31. . . 32. . . 33. . . 34. . . 35. . ._

"You cannot afford to be this weak." The blonde hissed to herself. "It was just a bad dream. You don't even _know_ anyone named Naruto."

_. . . 36. . . 37. . . 38. . . 39. . . 40. . . 41. . . 42. . ._

Ino released the hem of her shirt, splaying her hands out in an attempt to prove there was no blood. She stared at them, watching, convincing herself that the memories weren't memories at all.

_. . . 43. . . 44. . . 45. . . 46. . . 47. . . 48. . . 49. . . 50. . . 51. . ._

Blood stains seemed to slowly spread across Ino's small hands, and pain exploded in her chest. She fisted a hand into her choppy blonde hair, gasping as her jaw dropped open.

_. . . 52. . . 53. . . 54. . . 55. . . 56. . . 57. . . 58. . . 59. . ._

A scream ripped out of Ino's throat, echoing across the walls of her green bedroom. Tears tumbled down her cheeks, and everything felt so _wrong_ and _bad_ and she just wanted to _scream_ forever, until everything stopped _hurting_ so much.

_. . . 60._

Yamanaka Ino didn't stop screaming for thirty five hours, fifty two minutes, and twenty three seconds.

She did not join the academy that day.

Deep inside her mind, twenty seven year old Yamanaka Ino was molding inside her, taking shape and clinging to what was there.

Eight year old Yamanaka Ino would never, ever be the same, and the consequences would be monstrous.


End file.
